029: Tiger Trouble

During the ten days of intensified training, Tang Jian's progress was so rapid that he naturally put on a bit of an act for Sun Yiying, creating the illusion that he had a master guiding him from behind the scenes.

Even during his training with Master Le, the school's only Card Master, Tang Jian "casually" displayed incredibly strong card combat and control techniques, "almost" on par with Liu Kun, who trained constantly.

As his mentor, Sun Yiying was naturally "well aware" of these situations.

However, whenever she questioned Tang Jian, he would evade the topic, yet "unintentionally" "accidentally" reveal that he had a master guiding him.

This created a wonderful misunderstanding that Tang Jian was very keen to foster.

One was a Three-Star Card Master in his previous life, and the other was a Five-Star Card User in this life.

Although Sun Yiying was Tang Jian's mentor, Tang Jian had lived two lives. In terms of cunning and depth of character, he was actually far more profound than Sun Yiying. The illusion he created gradually led Sun Yiying to believe him, making her more accepting of Tang Jian's rapid progress.

Actually, this also spoke to Sun Yiying's good character, and since she was his mentor, Tang Jian naturally trusted her greatly.

Otherwise, if it were someone else, Tang Jian wouldn't dare to put on such an act in front of them. If it aroused malicious intent from others, this wonderful misunderstanding could be shattered with a single touch.

Currently, in the eyes of many, the person behind Tang Jian was Sun Yiying. They believed Sun Yiying was constantly giving him private lessons, which was why Tang Jian's progress was so swift.

But Sun Yiying, on the other hand, believed that Tang Jian had a mysterious Card Master guiding him, and that Tang Jian's immense progress was entirely due to that Card Master's guidance. This only deepened her curiosity and desire to investigate.

However, Sun Yiying was very good at restraining this desire.

Every person who truly became a Card Master was no ordinary individual.

Since the other party was unwilling to reveal themselves in public, there must be a profound reason for it. Rashly trying to unveil their mysterious facade might lead to unnecessary trouble.

"If you can give the students from Class 1 and Class 2 a good beating during this Interstellar Tower challenge, I, your teacher, will personally craft a White Jade Flying Serpent Card, a white-quality seven-star card, for you," Sun Yiying offered. "Although this card is only a support-type card, it can clear the mind, calm the spirit, and quickly heal injuries. How about it?"

Sun Yiying promised this benefit, directly claiming the card she won in their last gamble as her own creation.

Tang Jian's eyes lit up. "A White Jade Flying Serpent Card, tsk, Teacher, that's a generous offer! Yes, yes, beating people is what I'm best at."

A White Jade Flying Serpent Card could fetch twenty thousand Federal Currency if sold. Sun Yiying's reward truly tempted him.

Watching Tang Jian excitedly make his promise, Sun Yiying felt a pang of frustration.

This student of hers truly wouldn't act without seeing a clear benefit; he was incredibly cunning, completely unlike a high school student. Many times, instigating him or trying to stir his fighting spirit was useless; he only became truly excited when he saw a tangible reward.

Such a person, no matter how she looked at him, didn't exhibit the impulsive, competitive mindset of a young person, which gave her a headache.

"If you can make it into the top five in this Interstellar Tower challenge, not only will you definitely get into the Rocket Class, but the school will also reward you with ten thousand Federal Currency and a bottle of Solar Energy Potion as a subsidy. Make sure you seize this opportunity!"

Sun Yiying glanced at Tang Jian, her delicate brows subtly raised, adding more incentive. Then she gathered some documents from the table and left.

Tang Jian stood rooted, calculating the benefits, a grin spreading across his face.

The school was truly generous.

If he could make it into the top five, he would truly profit. Originally, he had planned to hold back a bit, thinking that simply getting into the Rocket Class after teaching Class 1 and Class 2 a lesson would be enough.

Now that these benefits were on the table, he had to go all out and strive for them.

At a roadside stall outside school, after a brief celebratory gathering with Yang Mao and the others, Tang Jian politely declined their invitations to play games, saying he needed to go home first.

"Hey, you jerk, that's not cool!" Yang Mao slurred, having had a bit too much to drink. "And are we just going to play games? Tomorrow, the Interstellar Tower might test us on Glory of the Dead. Let's play a few rounds tonight to get warmed up and practice our teamwork."

Tang Jian pushed Yang Mao away. "You're drunk as a pig, what teamwork are you going to practice? Just wing it tomorrow. I'm leaving."

With that, Tang Jian nodded slightly to the others and then departed.

Glory of the Dead was a card-based tower defense game that emphasized teamwork to push towers and conquer enemy territory. The Interstellar Tower did sometimes test players on this content.

However, Tang Jian wasn't willing to waste time on it now.

In his previous life, his skill level in this area was already extremely high, and he was very clear about the current skill levels of Yang Mao and the others. Tomorrow, he could simply carry the three of them; there was no need to practice any teamwork tonight. He had other things to attend to.

Watching Tang Jian leave, Yang Mao didn't think much of it, just giving him a disdainful middle finger. Liu Kun and Gao Yang, however, felt slightly uncomfortable, both feeling that Tang Jian was too unsociable and falsely aloof.

"Tomorrow's the day the Interstellar Tower reveals the truth, and he's still doing his own thing, really..." Gao Yang sighed, frowning.

Liu Kun raised an eyebrow. "Forget it, his skills probably aren't that great anyway. One more would just be a burden. I'll practice with you two."

At this moment, in a dark corner by a shop entrance across the street, four young men from the streets were squatting, smoking, watching Tang Jian and the others go their separate ways from afar.

When they saw Tang Jian leave alone, one of the slightly burly youths immediately spat out his cigarette, his face alight with excitement. "Brother Mosquito, haha, that kid left alone. Let's make our move."

Slap! The burly youth took a slap to the back of his head, his head snapping forward.

"Make your move? Make your mother's move! Can't you use your brain a little? When we're out here, we can't just use our hands, we have to use our brains too." Brother Mosquito, with a scar on his face and a bald head, spoke in a fierce tone, pointing to his head as a warning.

"Yes, yes. Then you say..."

The burly youth quickly nodded. As a ray of light hit his face, it was none other than Xie Dong, who had previously had a run-in with Tang Jian.

"I've already had my men stake out the place. That kid is definitely going home now, and he has to go through Yaxie Street to get there. There's hardly anyone in those alleys at night, so tonight's the best time to act," Brother Mosquito snorted coldly.

"Brother Mosquito is truly brilliant!" Xie Dong quickly flattered him, though he inwardly scoffed, this brain isn't much to begin with, how much smarter could it get?

If it weren't for relying on this man's strength as a Three-Star Card User and the combat pet series card he held, Xie Dong truly wouldn't have been willing to pay two thousand yuan to enlist his help.

When Tang Jian had threatened him, saying that if he didn't apologize with ten One-Star Blank Energy Cards, the matter wouldn't be over and would eventually be settled, Xie Dong had always kept it in mind.

In the interim, Xie Dong had heard that Tang Jian was progressing rapidly and seemed to have gotten involved with the class mentor. His strength was growing, which made Xie Dong nervous, and he had even considered privately resolving the feud.

But every time he wanted to find Tang Jian, he felt a bit unwilling, finding it hard to swallow his pride.

After all, Xie Dong had a bit of a notorious reputation at school. To humble himself before Tang Jian like this, and even apologize with ten One-Star Blank Energy Cards, that would be incredibly humiliating.

So, Xie Dong steeled himself and secretly contacted Brother Mosquito, a formidable figure in the local underworld. He was willing to pay extra to have Brother Mosquito teach Tang Jian a lesson.

He was quite cunning, knowing that Brother Mosquito wouldn't go too far to avoid blowing things out of proportion.

However, having spent the money, if Tang Jian only ended up looking a bit disheveled, it wouldn't satisfy his grudge. Yet, crippling someone would cause him trouble, and Brother Mosquito wouldn't do that.

Therefore, Xie Dong chose the night before the Rocket Class selection trials.

If Tang Jian was injured tonight, even if the injury wasn't severe, it would definitely affect Tang Jian's performance tomorrow. This would be tantamount to eliminating a competitor in advance. Then, if Tang Jian couldn't get into the Rocket Class, Xie Dong's goal of revenge would be achieved.

Thanks to "Guanyuan" and "Qingzhan Dixi Duanyuan" for their tips! To friends who like this book, please add it to your book lists if you have one, and cast your recommendation votes if you have any. Thank you all.